The Senator representing Anambra South, Ifeanyi Ubah, on Monday disclosed that the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) is a very big force because the majority of the group’s membership is not in Nigeria.
Noting that Nnamdi Kanu enjoys a huge following in the South-east, he warned the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government to take the IPOB Leader seriously.
Ubah, who is seeking a court order to visit Kanu in DSS custody, explained that he wants to engage the IPOB leader to “get him to talk to his people” about the proscribed group’s stand on the November 6 governorship election in Anambra State.
Recall that the Editor Nigeria had reported that the separatist group threatened to lock down the South-east if Kanu is not released from detention by November 4. The proposed sit-at-home protest would affect the Anambra governorship election which is billed for November 6.
While noting that boycotting the forthcoming election “doesn’t really help our people”, Ubah told Arise News: “You must understand that Nnamdi Kanu has a lot of followership in the south-east. So, the government should take him seriously. But we are engaging and finding political solutions to this issue.
“We are engaging with IPOB and showing them the importance of this election. The most important thing is that the election is constitutional, and I’m also very much sure that on the day of the election, there would be a peaceful election in Anambra state.”
The YPP governorship candidate had filed a motion on October 15 through his counsel, Agugoesi Ikem, who sought, “an order of this honourable court granting leave to Sen. Ifeanyi Ubah to visit the defendant, Nnamdi Kanu, as part of his legislative oversight function”.
Ubah said, “I am the only politician that’s working hard to see the reader of the indigenous people of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, so that I can also have the opportunity of talking to him and get him to talk to his people to look into the issue. Because the election is constitutional, and if really anybody loves our people, they shouldn’t be saying there will be no election.
“It doesn’t really help our people. If there’s no election, there will be voters apathy, and somebody might come in and then do something that might not augur well.
“IPOB is a very big force because most of them are not even in Nigeria. And they have their way with the media, and people are listening to them. So, that’s why I have dedicated myself to how we can bring in and proffer a political solution.”
